


Little Things

by Windify



Series: The Katana Chronicles [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Good Older Sibling Leonardo (TMNT), Hurt Donatello (TMNT), Hurt Raphael (TMNT), Leonardo-centric (TMNT), Nightmares, No Turtlecest (TMNT), PTSD Leonardo, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Leonardo (TMNT), Sibling Bonding, Turtle Pile (TMNT)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windify/pseuds/Windify
Summary: He run to the living room and stopped as soon as he saw them. Donatello was on the ground, held by the two brothers. Raphael was astride sitting on him while Michelangelo was clutching Don’s hands together.“What the shell,” Leo hissed, “is going on here?”Complete silence fell over the lair.//AKA Three times Leonardo helped his brothers and one time they helped him.
Relationships: Donatello & Leonardo & Michelangelo & Raphael (TMNT), Donatello & Leonardo (TMNT), Leonardo & Michelangelo (TMNT), Leonardo & Raphael (TMNT)
Series: The Katana Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099514
Comments: 8
Kudos: 97





	Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> The first three parts of this fic can take place wherever you want them to take place. The last part is set after the season three finale happened, but the series’ plotline itself isn’t important.

**––– RAPHAEL –––**

He stood motionless, hidden in darkness. He didn’t know how long he was here, seconds or minutes, but it didn’t really matter. He was lost in the moment, just silently watching his younger brother punch and kick the punching bag.

It wasn’t training, the blows were too heavy and uncoordinated, too restless.

No, this was Raphael showing his anger, using it as a power source. The red ninja kept going and it didn’t seem like he was about to stop. It seemed like he was trying to calm down, but Leonardo knew better. He knew that Raphael imagined _himself_ instead of the punching bag, that deep in his mind he was kicking himself.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, that Leo could see even though Raphael wasn’t facing him. He heard the quiet sobs escaping him everytime now and then, and the sight at his brother was breaking something deep in Leonardo’s soul. 

He finally moved. He let himself be heard, not wanting to startle his brother. Just as he expected, Raphael stilled for a moment, then turned at him, wiping his eyes with one hand. “What do ya want, Leonardo?” the younger turtle snarled. “Whatever it is, I don’t have time for it.”

“You’re angry.”

“Good point, Sherlock.” Raphael crossed his arms over his chest. He was trying to look adamant and tough, but Leonardo could see right through this mask. “I’ll ask once again. What da ya –”

“I’m not here to scold you, Raph,” he interrupted him, voice calm and soft. Leonardo knew he has to be careful with his words because his brother was dangerous to everyone right now – especially to himself. If he thought Leonardo was here to mock him, he would close up from him. “I know you’re upset with yourself and that’s enough big punishment.”

Raphael didn’t say anything and to be honest, Leonardo expected him to stay silent. For now, at least. Stepping closer to him, he continued: “What you did wasn’t right, but no one si angry with you, you know.”

The dam broke. “No one is – what the shell are ya talking about, Leonardo?!” He lowered his hands, fists tightly clenched. “I hurt Mikey. I could’ve killed him. That’s not okay! How can ya even say no one’s angry at me?”

Leonardo slightly smiled, tired expression on his face. “Because we all know you didn’t mean it, Raphael. We know you, you’re our brother. You have short temper and yes, you can be aggressive, but I know you love both Michelangelo and Donatello deeply. I know you’d do anything for them.”

That was true and no one could deny it. Raphael was hot-headed, but his love for their family always came first when it really mattered.

“That still doesn’t excuse what have I done,” he mumbled, ashamed. He looked away from him, not wanting to look in Leonardo’s eyes.

Because Raphael was right. It didn’t excused that he had lost his temper and hurt the youngest brother, but Michelangelo was making remarks at him for a whole week now, more than usual. It was bound to happen, but Raph was brutal this time. Leonardo had to stop him before it could be worse, and Michelangelo had a really pretty black eye nearly all over his face.

Violence was never the answer, Master Splinter taught them so, but it was harder for Raphael. He tried, he really did, Leo saw it, but at the same time he knew all of his tries were unsuccessful.

This was something Leonardo should have done _ages_ ago. “Raph, please. Tell me what are you thinking about.”

Silence fell for a few minutes and Leonardo waited patiently, knowing that pressing would do exactly nothing. “I just… I stopped controlling myself,” Raphael whispered. “I’m the strongest and we know it but I still hurt Mikey. I hurt him, Leo, don’t ya get it?” He talked in rush, like he had to get the words out of his system now while he could. “I’m – I’m scared all the time, afraid that I’d hurt y’all, and I did. I _do_. It haunts me every day and I can’t do anything with it and that’s the worst thing because I want to. I hate knowing I could hurt ya or the others in just a split second and I _hate_ it, I hate myself for it and I’m so _scared_!” His breathing was ragged, his body tense. He hung down his head, eyes closed, and chuckled shortly. It was an ugly sound without any humor in it. “I can’t believe you’ve made me say this.”

Leonardo sighed. He came even closer to his brother, putting both his hands on Raph’s shoulders, grounding him. Calming him. “I know how it feels, Raph,” he said. “Trust me. I’m scared every day of my life, too.”

“You?” And there was it. The disbelieve, the mocking. Hidin behind sarcastic attitude because he didn’t believe anyone could feel the same and that was ruining Leonardo. How could he allow this to happen, how could he allow his brother to even think he has to deal all alone with his problems? “How could ya possibly understand, Fearless? Ya have _nothing_ to be scared of. You’re brave, you’re the leader –”

“ _That’s_ why,” Leonardo nodded. He squeezed Raphael tightly, suddenly very serious. He was looking him in the eyes, holding the contact. He needed his brother to finally understand, to just listen. “I’m the leader, Raph. It’s my responsibility to ensure you all are safe and healthy, it’s my responsibility to look after you. But I’m not just the leader, I’m also your older brother, no matter what you think about it, and you are my younger brother. I know you can take care of yourself. All of you can, but that doesn’t change the fact that I worry about you. I’m scared of making a mistake, of being wrong and not being able to protect you.

“Raphael, listen. I don’t care if you like it or not, but to me, you’re my little brother just as much as Donatello and Michelangelo. I don’t care how many times I’ll have to say it for you to understand it’s true. I want you to be safe and happy and knowing you’re hurting is killing me.

“So yes. Yes, I understand more than you think. I know why you’re scared and I want to help you, but Raph, you have to let me, alright? We can do this, but together.”

The red masked turtle gaped at him, completely at loss with words. His mouth was slightly ajar and he stared at him, eyes wide open with shock and disbelief. “But… but you’re so confident all the time.”

The older turtle shook his head, a hint of smile on his face. “Yeah, I know, Raph. I have to be. But being scared doesn’t make you weak. If anything, it’s just a proof how much you love your family. So, you think you’ll allow me to help you?”

Raphael hesitated. Leonardo knew he was still a little scared he will make fun of him, but he wouldn’t do that. Not in this situation, not for something like this.

Relief flew through his body when Raphael nodded. It was nearly unnoticeable but it was there and that was enough for Leo to tug at his brother and pull him into a hug. Raph growled, but didn’t pull away. “Thanks, Leo.”

“Anytime, Raph.”

**––– MICHELANGELO –––**

“You don’t get it, Leo. I’m in _misery_.”

“Sure you are, Mikey.”

“I’m _suffering_.”

Leonardo rolled his eyes, finally looking up from his book. Michelangelo was sprawled on the couch, switching between different TV channels and kicking his legs. It was obvious he was bored, and to be honest, Leo wasn’t surprised. His youngest brother was always so active and these past days were just too calm for Mikey’s liking. It was a wonder he hadn’t went crazy yet.

“Why don’t you read something?”

Michelangelo turned the TV off. “I can’t. I’ve read _Where the Wild Things Are_ like billion times already, the same with my comics. I love my comics, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all the same and I can’t do ‘all the same’ now. And there’s nothing interesting in the TV, neither!” He rose from the couch just so he could fall down on his back again, groaning loudly while doing so.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Mikey,” muttered Donatello, who was working on… something in his lab corner.

The orange ninja huffed, standing up. “But I’m just so bored! I should’ve gone with Raph and Casey. Maybe I could catch up wi –”

“No,” Leonardo rejected immediately. “These two are probably doing something reckless and stupid and will most definitely get into some trouble so you will not,” he looked at him vehemently, “go out after them.”

“But that’s not fair, Leo!” he groaned. “Don, tell him it’s not fair!”

“You really wanna argue with our Bushidō-loving brother with what’s fair and what’s not?” the inventor asked unconcernedly and Leo grinned when he saw the annoyed look on Michelangelo’s face. “Plus, Leo’s right. And before you start, yes, we know you can very well take care of yourself, but those two have their – how should I say it? – unique ability to deal with problems. Namely Purple Dragons or other gangsters.”

Leo closed his book, already knowing how this will end. “If you want to beat something up so badly, why don’t you just train? You can fight against me.”

Michelangelo put his hands on his hips. “No offence, Leo, but contrary to popular belief, I’m not crazy. I don’t have to get my shell kicked by you twice a day, the morning training was enough.”

Donatello snorted and then coughed, trying to cover his laugh as if he hadn’t ended up knocked down too.

“But – but what I’m supposed to do, then?” Mikey whined. “Everything’s just so boring.”

The eldest brother tilted his head to the side. “Sometimes I wonder how can you even be a ninja, Mikey.”

“That’s my personal secret, Sword Boy,” he sing-soned. “But I mean it. I can’t play video games because Donnie still hasn’t repaired my console and I can’t even harass him with my presence because he’d banned me from his lab.”

Don lifted his head, glaring at the youngest turtle. “You kept touching electric wires, Mikey!”

“Details!”

Leonardo shook his head. He thought that it must have been a miracle they were still alive after all the idiocies they have done since, well, since their mutation. Or maybe he and Master Splinter were better at their job – keeping his brothers alive – than he thought. One way or another, it was time to step in before Michelangelo could think of something crazy like skating on the walls. _Again_.

The leader stood up and stretched, putting his book aside. “Come with me, Mikey.”

Michelangelo backed up suddenly, looking really nervous, and Donatello once more snorted. “Um, Leo, I think I told you I don’t wanna train –”

“Shush and come with me.”

He threw last, completely unneccessary, panic look at Donatello, but followed the eldest anyway. Michelangelo wasn’t really scared, at least Leo hoped so. They stopped in the kitchen, Michelangelo waiting and watching while Leo searched behind cupboards. “I got you somethink not long ago. I wanted to give it to you as a reward for training or something like that, but I think now is a better occasion.” He pulled back, smiling triumphantly.

He held a book in his hands. It looked old, because it actually _was_ old, but nevertheless the book was in a good shape. He handed it over to his brother. “I thought you’d like it.”

“A book?” Michelangelo didn’t look convinced but he took it anyway. “Why would you…?”

“Just open it, Mikey.”

It was a cookbook. Handwritten, thick and full of home-made recipes. He watched as Michelangelo run his fingers over the pages, almost in awe, and Leo felt proud of himself. “You’ve been complaining about not having new ideas what to cook for a few weeks so I thought you could like it. I checked it; most of the recipes are new.” And some were really challenging, so this could keep Mikey entertained for a while.

Michelangelo flipped through the pages before snapping the book shut and not even a moment later he was crushing Leonardo in a hug. “Oh my god, Leo, this is so awesome! Thank you so much!”

He laughed, light and amused. He was just glad his brother liked it. “You’re welcome, Mikey. I expect you to cook something delicious.”

“Your wish is my command, Leader,” Michelangelo mockingly saluted. He stopped suddenly. “Wait. How did you even managed to hide it here?”

“Because it was so obvious hiding spot that you wouldn’t even look there for something.”

Mikey blinked. “Huh. Smart.”

“I’m aware.”

But the orange turtle wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, too busy reading in the cookbook. Leonardo smiled at him, content that his little brother was happy, and walked out of the kitchen. Donatello looked at him knowingly – and kind of relieved – and Leonardo just chuckled, returning to his book.

**––– DONATELLO –––**

“Don’t you dare.”

Oh come _on_ , he was trying to meditate. Was he asking for too much?

Apparently. And Master Splinter didn’t look too happy about the interruption, neither.

He sighed, trying to concentrate. Few minutes passed by and Leonardo thought that whatever happened had ended, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

“I swear to Edison, Raph, _don’t you dare_.”

That got Leo’s attention. It sounded like Donatello wasn’t kidding, but at the same time he wasn’t aggressive. It sounded more defensive than attacking, if anything. That made Leonardo frown. Michelangelo and Raphael together could be kind of overwhelming, but surely they could behave, right?

There was a crash, then muffled groaning. “Mikey, please, put it down,” Don pleaded. He heard the two other brothers giggle. Donatello abruptly yelped. “Leo, help!” he yelled, voice full of panic.

That was enough for him. He stood up, meditation forgotten, and rushed out of the dojo even before Master Splinter managed to sigh. He was never able to resist a cry for help, not from his brothers, especially if he didn’t know what was the situation.

He run to the living room and stopped as soon as he saw them. Donatello was on the ground, held by the two brothers. Raphael was astride sitting on him while Michelangelo was clutching his hands together.

“What the shell,” he hissed, “is going on here?”

Complete silence fell over the lair.

“So?” he asked when no one answered. “Raphael, Michelangelo, get off of Donatello. Now.”

He was pissed and they all could sense it. The two turtles immediately let go of their brother, taking a careful step away. Donatello quickly stood up, toying with safety goggles they must’ve knocked off of his head. “It’s nothing,” Don said finally, voice small. “I just – I panicked. I’m sorry I called you, Leo, you can go back. Everything’s alright, I swear.”

There was no way he was buying this. “That definitely did _not_ looked, nor sounded like nothing. Well? Care to elaborate what happened?” 

He crossed his hands on his chest, waiting. He was able to just stood there and keep waiting all day until he get his answers and there was no need to remind this to them.

Leonardo stepped closer and they all instantly took a step back, making him stop. _I’m scaring them_ , he realized suddenly. There was no point in denying this; they weren’t looking at him and their postures were tight.

_Dammit. Great job, Leonardo, look what you have done._

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “I just want to know what happened,” he said as calmly as he could. “I know we’re ninjas, I know we fight together, but Don’s scream really startled me.”

Loud yelling wasn’t anything unusual, but this was something different. Most times it was Raph and Mikey screeching at each other, not Donatello. And if it _was_ him, it was because he was angry or frustrated, not because he was frightened.

“It really is nothing, Leo, I swear.” But Don’s voice was shaky and Leo didn’t like that, not in the slightest. “I was working and couldn’t figure out the right equation – still can’t – and just… I haven’t got much sleep in the past three days. My moves were getting sloppy and I wasn’t paying attention, so when Raph and Mikey had me down I just kind of… turned off. ”

That made sense, although Leonardo wasn’t happy to hear that Donatello was overworking himself again. He knew he couldn’t stop his genius brother and he didn’t want to stop him when he was doing something he loved, but sleep was also important and Don shouldn’t forget that. Leonardo never liked forcing his brother into sleeping but luckily Donatello was the smart one and knew better than to resist.

Still, Leonardo should’ve noticed sooner that Don was tired out. At least the day before.

Anyway, this hadn’t explained anything. “Why were you two holding him down in the first place?” Leo asked, looking at Raphael and Michelangelo.

This time, it was the red ninja who answered: “It’s my fault, really. Don refused to do literally anything with us so I thought that maybe if we distracted him…”

Leonardo didn’t need to hear the full sentence, he figured it out easily. Maybe if they distracted him, he would stop working, that was Raph’s plan.

Noble thought, bad execution.

“Let me guess.” Leonardo’s eyes roved around the lab, then back at his three brothers. “You tried taking his things and he tried getting them back.”

The following silence was more than telling.

Leonardo groaned, facepalming. This whole thing was a huge misunderstanding which could they easily prevent if they just used words. “Then why didn’t you say something when I asked you the first time?”

“Cuz it was stupid,” Mikey muttered. He shifted his weight restlessly, obviously uncomfortable. “And – I don’t know, you just… hurricaned your way here from the dojo. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Same,” nodded Raphael.

The leader fell silent for a few seconds, trying to make sense of his own thoughts. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” he said eventually. “But please, don’t do this again. At least not when I have no idea what is really happening.”

Raph shook his head eagerly. “Yeah, ya can count on that.” 

Excellent. “Thank you. Now, Donnie, could you please go sleep? You look like you’re about to fall over.” The adrenalin rush that kept him awake while inventing, in combination with the caused shock, evidently burnt down. Leo walked over to him, satisfied when his brothers didn’t flinch this time. “Raph, Mikey, put Donnie’s toys back where you get them from. Don, let’s go, please.”

“Yes, okay,” the inventor mumbled. He let Leonardo support him on their way to Donatello’s room.

Soon, he was lying in his bed, already half asleep. The eldest turtle smiled, hand brushing over Don’s shell. “Sleep well, Donnie.”

“Leo?” Don stopped him before he could walk out. His words were quiet, but recognizable. “Thanks for coming.”

“I will always come, little brother,” he whispered softly, his heart squeezing. He wasn’t thrilled with the situation, but the knowledge that his brother’s first instinct was to call after him… that filled him with pride and love. It meant that he trusted him to protect him, and he was going to do his best to not disappoint him, to not disappoint them all. “Always.”

**––– + LEONARDO –––**

_They were beaten. He saw his brothers lying on the ground, he heard their muffled groaning. They couldn’t get up, they were barely even awake. Their eyes were on him, lost and full of despair._

_Never in his life had he felt so helpless._

_He had failed and they were all going to die. One by one and all together at the same time. He was ready to sacrifice them all just to stop the Shredder. He was the one who decided it, they just rolled with it, following his lead like their lives weren’t at stakes._

_This was his fault. He wasn’t good enough and they were paying for his mistakes. He had sworn on his life and honor to protect them, had sworn that no one will hurt his family._

_What had he done? He had to do something, anything, just to keep his brothers and his father alive._

_But the starship’s power core was overloading. It was about to blow up any second. Leonardo felt the heat, felt the energy accumulating._

_Knowing that there is nothing else he can do… he hated that feeling._

_He hated himself for that. Hated himself for disappointing the ones he loved, for being so useless and weak._

_Someone screamed and the sound broke his heart and mind, cut deep into his soul. Sound so horrible and harsh he wouldn’t be able to ever forget it, sound darker than his own thoughts –_

With a sharp gasp, he opened his eyes. He was trying to take a breath, but he couldn’t. There wasn’t enough air. The darkness surrounding him wasn’t helping, making him nauseous. Even when he wasn’t in his right mind, his body was silent and motionless, the ninjutsu training fully showing.

He was panicking. He still heard the screaming, still saw the hopeless look on their faces.

_His brothers. He needed to see his brothers._

He scrambled on his feet without thinking twice about it. He was out of his bed immediately, only slightly slowing down when he eyed the katanas right next to his bed. He grabbed them and strapped the holsters on his back, running out of his room. It was just a precaution. He had to be able to protect them if someone attacked.

His breathing was still shallow, his mind still captured in a mess of memories and feelings. He felt dizzy, his heart racing.

Raphael’s room was the closest. He opened the door to his room with maybe a little too much force and noise than what was necessary but Leonardo didn’t even notice.

The red turtle, on the other hand, did. Raphael stirred on his bed, waking up and sitting on the bed. He grlowled, fist raised, but the sight of the eldest turtle took him by surprise. “Leo? What –”

“Raph,” Leo rasped, launching himself onto his younger brother. “You’re okay.” He clasped him in a hug, the need to feel his skin to know he really is alright too big to ignore.

Raphael stiffed but returned the hug. “Course I’m, bro. What’s goin’ on?”

“Mikey and Don,” he hissed instead of answering. Knowing that Raphael’s fine was nice, but the younger brothers didn’t have to be. “I need to check on Mikey and Don.”

“Whoa, Leo.” Raph stopped him before he could pull away completely. “I’m sure they’re okay. We would know if something –”

“No!” he cried out. That was not an option, he needed to see on his own eyes, needed to know, to be _sure_.

“Fine, fine!” The red ninja raised his hands when he saw Leo blindly reach out for his swords. “We’ll go check our little brothers. Just let the katanas be.”

But Leo wasn’t even listening to him anymore, once again already on the move. He sprinted to Michelangelo’s room, the orange turtle still sleeping. He woke up the second Leo touched his shoulder, high-pitched squeak escaping his mouth, but he too soon recognized his older brother. “Leo?” Mikey asked in confusion, letting his brother hug him and hugging him back with just as much strength as Leonardo. “Hey, Leo, it’s alright.”

Leonardo’s breathing and heart was finally starting to calm down but there was still someone missing and he didn’t like that, but at the same time he didn’t want to let go of the youngest turtle.

“Leo, brother.” There was a hand on his shell and when he looked up, Donatello was standing right in front of him with Raphael just a few feet further.

He moved one hand so he could hug both Michelangelo and Donatello at the same time. “Donnie,” he whispered, voice cracking. He sobbed; one lonely sound which he tried to quiet down. He felt Raph’s finger gently rub his shell, sending calming tingling through his body.

_They were alright. They were safe and well and there wasn’t any danger._

_They were all right._

“Whatever you saw, it wasn’t real,” Donatello muttered.

Except that it _was_ real. It wasn’t called a memory for nothing, after all. It happened, no matter how much he wished for this to be a lie. It happened and there was no saying something like that wouldn’t happen again.

No. No, no, nothing like that could ever happen again. The Shredder was dead, it’d all ended.

_Focus, Leonardo._

“We’re safe, Fearless,” Raphael mumled. He rightly guessed what was the leader thinking, because same things had stayed the same through the years. “Ya hear me? There’s no danger. You’ve got Don and Mikey –”

“And you,” Leo added. He knew he was about to exclude yourself and that was not allowed. Raph was his brother, too. They would need to talk about this, but not right now.

“– and me.” Raph pressed his lips together. “Right. We’re all here.”

Michelangelo laughed, his tone light and full of unsaid words. “You don’t have to worry, big bro. We’re safe.”

Safe.

Yeah, that – that was good. More than good.

Finally, finally he took a deep breath. He felt exhausted all of sudden, but that was expected after an episode like this. Doesn’t mean he wanted to go back to sleep, though.

“Are you with us?” Don asked, trying to sound calm but his eyes gave him away.

Shell, he really freaked them out. All of them, even Raph. It shouldn’t be surprising, considering he rarely showed his fears and struggles. He always tried to keep on a strong face because someone had to do it, and when even he lost to his self-doubts…

“I’m sorry I worried you,” he sighed eventually. “And that I wo –”

Raphael smacked him lightly, the touch barely sensible. “Leonardo, I swear, if you’re about to apologize for waking us up because you’ve obviously had a bad nigh, I’ll give you a reason to be sorry for.”

“But –”

Michelangelo moaned. “Leo, you’ve never complained when any of us came to you because we’ve had a nightmare, so shut up. End of discussion.”

The adamant looks on their faces told Leo it wouldn’t be a good idea to argue. After all, he wasn’t in the mood to argue with them right now, neither. “I…” he looked down on the bed, unable to look them in the eyes. “I should go back to my room.”

Apart from the fact that he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to leave them alone, he wanted to have them on his watch. There was a possibility he’d panic again if they wasn’t in his sight, but there was no way he would admit that.

Luckily he hadn’t had to.

“Yeah, no way,” Mikey shook his head. “You came to us and there’s no way I’m letting free cuddle session slip through my fingers. Get up. Don, Raph, you too. We need blankets. Many blankets.”

He stared at him, words stuck inside his throat. However, the other three turtles weren’t paying attention to him, and while Michelangelo and Raphael run away to gather all blankets they could find, Donatello navigated him to the living room.

To be honest, Leonardo kind of switched off and the next thing he knew was that his brothers were all huddled up on the floor in living room, which was now completely covered with blankets.

“Get your ass down here with us, Leo,” Raph tapped the spot next to him. “The nigh still hasn’t ended and I’d like to sleep before tomorrow’s morning lesson.”

He stood frozen. They haven’t done anything like this in ages, all of them deciding they’re too old for this few years ago. But now – seeing them together, doing this just because he didn’t want to sleep alone?

Right now, there was nothing more he could ask for.

Carefully, he removed the swords, leaving them in their holsters by his feet, just in case. He crawled between them and Donatello and Michelangelo didn’t waste any time before cuddling closer. Smile sprawled across his face and he relaxed, feeling Raphael’s hand lying on his plastron. “Thank you,” he exhaled.

The two youngest tiredly hummed while Raph silently chuckled. “Next time just say something, Leo.”

He closed his eyes, letting the holded tears flow down his cheeks. He loved his brothers and would do anything for them, just like they would do. He was lucky to have the family he had.

Because in the end, the only important thing was that they were by each others sides, no matter what happened.

**Author's Note:**

> I still don’t know why had I written this, I just wanted some sibling bonding and this fic came to live. I hope you liked it, though.


End file.
